How we onboarded a US Government State Agency onto our Attack Surface Management Platform - A Customer Success Story

Securin has helped a US State Agency comply with the cybersecurity legislative mandate.

The US federal government agencies and the state, local, and education (SLEd) sectors have long been a target of cyberattacks. This has resulted in the exposure of critical information, the breach of sensitive assets, and the disruption of business operations. State agencies needed a holistic solution that would provide a view of what the hackers were seeing from the outside. This customer story is about a US State Agency onboarded to Securin’s ASM platform and how we helped improve its security posture.

The Challenge: The lack of visibility into the Agency’s attack surface

The State Agency, with over 50 departments handling different industries and state services, had many challenges that inhibited the Agency from understanding its attack surface. Despite having multiple tools to track security, the state Agency did not have visibility into its attack surface. 

The Agency struggled to manage the changing attack surface of its assets spread across numerous locations and settings due to a lack of cybersecurity staff (cloud, on-prem, and applications). This State Agency urgently required an accurate image of its attack surface to understand its exposures and security gaps due to its overworked security employees.

The Solution: A Robust Attack Surface Management Solution

After a successful PoC, the State Agency engaged Securin’s Attack Surface Management solution to get a hacker’s view of its exposures, misconfigurations, and security gaps. 

The Challenge: Onboarding the US State Agency

Onboarding a State Agency with 50+ departments and 200+ users was challenging. Since the Client needed immediate access to the platform, we handled the onboarding as follows: 

1. We collected user information and roles ahead of the onboarding (pre-vetted users), created user profiles, and sent invitations from the platform. This accelerated the onboarding process considerably. With the user profiles created and roles mapped, the Client’s security team was able to use the platform from day zero. This provided them with a view of their dynamic attack surface in a short time.

2. We conducted demonstrations and Q & A sessions and helped the Client’s security team understand their attack surface and exposure to attacks.

3. Once the onboarding was completed, we also provided personal attention to each Agency and its users through biweekly sessions and several ad hoc calls. 
 

4. We to the Client, prioritized findings and report walk-throughs and established quarterly business reviews with key stakeholders to facilitate rapid remediation.

5. We also provided the users with adequate assistance and resolved their queries in a short period.

Results: Improved Security Posture

Securin's ASM discovered numerous high-risk exposures and vulnerabilities in the US State Agency’s network. We also discovered 100+ breached email IDs and Personally Identifiable Information (PII) that could be used to mount phishing attacks. We also found numerous high-risk vulnerabilities associated with Ryuk ransomware.

Within a few months of implementing our ASM solution, the State Agency was able to gain control over its attack surface, limit its exposure to evolving risks, and optimize its asset security. 

Securin’s team also established a scanning cadence and processes to alert the Agency immediately about evolving threats. We also became its extended security team as we continued to monitor their attack surface.
 

Securin’s team continues to help the US State Agency improve its security posture. To that end, we conduct the following:

• Readouts 
  • Continuous discovery and proactive readouts every week
• Advisory
  • Prioritization of exposures and remediation advisory
• Planned Remediation
  • Planned remediation calendar according to the Agency’s requirements
• Training Sessions 
  • Regular enablement sessions scheduled for the users
• Actionable Reports 
  • Detailed reports based on the exposures and fixes in the platform

Why Securin?

Public sector entities run on legacy security that cannot counter sophisticated attacks launched by present-day hackers. Apart from outdated security measures, government agencies do not have the skilled human effort to implement necessary security measures to prevent attacks on time. With the geopolitical climate in turmoil and the rise in APT groups targeting the SLED market, government entities should prioritize cybersecurity above all else, at least in the interest of national security. Managing your attack surface is not a onetime exercise but a continuous cyclical process. 
 

Securin ASM provides a hacker’s view of your attack surface as it continuously discovers your known and unknown assets helping you neutralize your most significant risks. Become agile and remediate your exposures before they attract a hacker. 

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